McMurry Academic Advisor Training

ACADEMIC ADVISING

What is Advising at McMurry??

Academic Advising is an essential element of the educational process and is committed to a program which strives to integrate students’ personal and academic goals, address their cognitive and social development, and establish the relationship between education and life experiences.

Our role is to help the student clarify individual goals and develop a suitable educational plan, select an appropriate course sequence, and review the progress toward established educational goals. We require students to meet with their advisor for registration and schedule changes and are highly encouraged to consult with their advisor anytime assistance is needed. The role of academic advisor serves as a valuable resource who can help facilitate the student’s adjustment to and development within the academic environment.

2022-2023 McMurry University Catalog

National Views on Academic Advising

McMurry University subscribes to the Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) concept, values, and standards of academic advising.

NACADA’s 3 Core Competencies:

1. Conceptual – Understand academic advising theory, approaches and strategies

2. Informational – Understand institutional policies, curriculum, resources, student success, and information technology

3. Relational – Understand the whole student, promote student understanding, articulate philosophy of advising, build relationships

Academic Advisor Objectives

1.Academic advisors will be knowledgeable about the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

2.Academic advisors will have knowledge of the tutorial resources and study skills workshops available to students

S3C, AEC, Success Coach Workshops

3.Academic advisors will respect diverse student backgrounds and communicate available resources that are student appropriate

4.Academic advisors will encourage students to understand their responsibility for academic progress

5.Academic advisors will be responsible for monitoring their student’s progress by utilizing the degree audit, end of term grades, and early alerts/Admin Drop notifications from the Registrar’s office

6.Academic advisors will use MyMcM Degree Audit to assist students in academic planning

7.Academic advisors will be able to explain the purpose of the core curriculum and its distribution

8.Academic advisors will be able to define “academic probation” and “academic suspension” and the consequences of each

What Do Students Want From An Advisor?

From a Personal Stand Point:

◦ Treating the student with respect and friendliness

◦ Knowing the student’s background

◦ Helping the student improve interpersonal skills

◦ Boosting student’s self-esteem and selfimage

◦ Make referrals to other campus resources

◦ Be accessible!

From an Academic Stand Point:

◦ Discuss long range goals

◦ Discuss educational goals

◦ Be knowledgeable about university policies and procedures

◦ Explain registration procedures

◦ Explain graduation requirements

◦ Help with exploring career options

How are advisees assigned & who are my advisees?

◦ First Year students are advised by their First Year Experience instructor for their second semester.

◦ At this point, all First Year students and Transfers will be assigned to a faculty academic advisor in the Department for which their major belongs.

◦ All students and advisors are emailed as these changes are made

◦ Updated Advisee Lists (Excel) will be sent to primary academic advisors by close of business Monday, March 20th

◦ Please email your advisees regarding how you prefer students to request advising appointments and complete registration

What are the components of an advising appointment?

The academic advising interaction comprises of 5 parts:

◦ Preparation

◦ Interaction

◦ Summary

◦ Documentation

◦ Follow Up

Prep & Interaction

Preparing: Create a clutter free/confidential space

Print necessary materials

Have virtual catalog pulled up for easy reference

Create a recommended schedule based on degree requirements

Have questions prepared to ask student

Interaction:

Introductions

Revisit Career Plan/Major Choice

Understand academic progress/history of each student

Know what they are involved in = co-curricular activities

Issues/Concerns

Summary & Documentation

Summary: Review what you have discussed

Create a To Do List for student if actions outside of your office are warranted

Conclude your visit with student

Documentation: Write it down!

When time allows document in McMurry Success Links

Helpful if a student changes majors

Track what communication occurred between advisor / student Protects you

Follow-Up

Create the next appointment if needed

Send information to student you said you would Contact student if they were tasked to do something – check in so to speak

1st time appointments might run 30-45 minutes

Follow up might need 10-20 minutes depending on what the conversation is

McMurry Honors

University Honors

◦ Must be admitted to Honors Program

◦ Maintain 3.5 GPA or higher

◦ 12 hours of Honors Level Coursework

◦ 7 hours of tutorial/thesis over the last two long semesters by Directed Study

Departmental Honors

◦ Any one can do Departmental Honors

◦ Maintain 3.25 GPA or higher

◦ 7 hours of tutorial/thesis over the last two long semesters by Directed Study

◦ Tutorial Hours should be taken first

(4X96)

◦ Followed by Thesis Hours (4X97)

◦ Tutorial Hours should be taken first

(4X96)

◦ Followed by Thesis Hours (4X97)

Academics & Athletics

Scholar-athletes at McMurry University are considered as regular students and their academic class loads should reflect this. I n general, a scholarathlete should average 15-16 hours per semester in order to graduate in four years. Taking fewer hours will necessitate going to summer school or extending the graduation date. The athletic department encourages 15-16 hours per semester. Although many people feel that class loads should be reduced during a sport’s season, statistics show that scholar-athletes do as well or better during the sport season compared to the off season. Naturally, common sense must prevail so if a scholar-athlete faces a semester with three or more extremely difficult classes, fewer hours might be warranted.

The athletic and academic experience for McMurry scholar-athletes should go hand in hand. Every effort should be made to eliminate the conflict between class attendance and athletic participation. Time conflicts create stress in the scholar-athletes that could affect their classroom and athletic performance. Every scholar-athlete should be afforded the opportunity to excel in the classroom while succeeding on the athletic field. Athletes will not be penalized by the athletic staff if they have to miss practice for a class. However, they are expected to be present for every game, with an excused absence from class. At a small university where multiple sections of classes are not offered, scheduling for scholarathletes can be problematic. This can be minimized by cooperation between athletic department staff and faculty.

To minimize problems, NO classes should be missed other than excused absences for games.

Financial Aid/Veteran Benefits

Financial Aid

◦ Students must be registered for 12 hours or more in order to receive full benefits from their aid in Fall/Spring

◦ Summer courses are not eligible for institutional scholarships – students will need to ask about Summer Pell and Student Loans to cover these costs - - minimum 6 hours of enrollment for Summer to be eligible for aid

◦ If students WITHDRAW or are ADMIN DROPPED, they are subject to Title IV refund policies. Financial Aid will calculate if any repayment is necessary.

Veteran Benefits

◦ Students must be registered for 12 hours or more in order to receive full VA benefits in Fall/Spring

◦ Only courses required for the degree can be certified. Courses not required to reach 120 hours cannot be paid for by the VA. If student is taking more than 12 hours, this may or may not matter in the end.

◦ Summer courses are eligible for VA payment.

◦ If students WITHDRAW or are ADMIN DROPPED, this is problematic and can cause repayment issues. It does not matter when the course was dropped.

Develop Education Plan/Schedule

1. Know your major and course rotations

2. Know McMurry’s General Education Requirements

3. Balance is key to creating the best path to graduation and course schedule: maintain courses from general education, major, minor, or general electives

4. Student should register for 12-18 hours to stay on track for graduation – the fewer the courses during long semesters, the more likely summer courses will be needed

5. Watch pre-requisites and time conflicts

6. Map it out – make sure what you plan for now won’t bite later